Fredericksburg is one of my favorite Texas Hill Country destinations. Considering Fredericksburg is a small town, there is a lot to see and do. The area is full of charming bed and breakfasts and wineries, not to mention cute shops and lots of restaurants. We’ve visited Fredericksburg and the surrounding Hill Country area dozens of times, with and without our children. We’ve never stayed at the same place twice and are always thrilled to discover new bed and breakfasts. As for the wineries, many are in the actual city of Fredericksburg, other wineries are located in the towns just outside of Fredericksburg, such as Hye, or Stonewall, most are located along U. S. Highway 290, a.k.a. Wine Road 290.
Our first stop arriving into town was the stunningly gorgeous Grape Creek Vineyards. This place continuously wows us every time, and becoming wine club members here was one of our best decisions. We were ready for a glass of wine but I was also starving. The new restaurant at Grape Creek made this a perfect choice. Trattoria is their newly upgraded restaurant. Formerly it was an outdoor restaurant with counter service, now Trattoria is fully enclosed and air-conditioned with large picture windows overlooking the vineyards and a full wait staff.
I ordered a yummy salad and started with one of my favorite whites, the Viognier. You can still find areas to dine outside and the members only patio is fantastic. If you aren’t a wine club member there are other nice tables outside to relax at with large trees and a fountain. If you love wine Grape Creek is an excellent choice and I really love being in their wine club. They also have a smaller location right on Main Street in Fredericksburg.
Our next stop was Torri di Pietra Vineyards. I’ve been a little mad at Torri di Pietra for being out of my favorite Dirty Girl wine for a very long time.
I guess I drank their entire stock last time. Haha…but finally they have stock again, so we’ve made up. I’m glad because I’ve really missed their cat Bella.
Not only do I love this wine, I think the bottles are adorable and I have one I keep my laundry detergent in, I added a pour spout on top. You know I can’t have an ugly bottle of Tide sitting out in my laundry room…I’m way to neurotic for that.
No, I wasn’t letting Bella drink my wine, that would be less for me. But she’s a wine kitty and I value her opinion, she’s just smelling the aroma of my wine. Dirty Girl is a Chardonnay with hints of apples and pineapples. Bella approves of my selection and lets me drink it.
After my cat cuddle party we head to our bed and breakfast, where I start to remember I’m allergic to cats. I seem to always forget that when drinking wine.
This time we decided to stay at the Sugarberry Inn. This adorable bed and breakfast is located just off Main Street and it’s very convenient.
I love these adorable little cottages surrounded by charming gardens.
The room inside was cozy and charming but also felt spacious at the same time. The bed linens were so incredibly soft and luxurious that I’m still thinking about them.
I’ve never showered outdoors before, but it’s really cool to do so privately in nature. Don’t worry if you find yourself staying in the middle of winter there is also an indoor shower. In fact the entire bathroom was huge with a gorgeous free standing tub.
The back of the property has lots of trees, a small creek, a fireplace, and lots of little nooks to relax, read, or sip wine.
One thing to be aware of when you visit Fredericksburg and some nearby towns is that on Monday and Tuesdays a few places will be closed. It wasn’t that big of a deal to us, but first timers may want to avoid Mondays and Tuesdays just so you have all your options open. Otto’s German Bistro was open and luckily I love this restaurant and was planning to eat there anyway.
Tucked a few blocks off Main Street, Otto’s offers upscale food with a German flair. It has excellent service and a terrific wine list, I definitely recommend it.
The next morning after coffee in my rocking chair and a few selfies we headed out to breakfast.
What? We’re going out to breakfast when were staying at a bed and breakfast? Yes, that’s right. The Sugarberry Inn provides breakfast only on the weekends in the main house. No worries, they provided us with breakfast vouchers and a list of restaurants to choose from and that was just as fun!
We decided to stop at a trusted favorite, the Fredericksburg Herb Farm. Tucked in a charming little house, the Farm Haus Bistro offers yummy breakfasts and is a favorite of ours. I’ve always wanted to come here for dinner but I seem to forget it’s an option. Either way it has great food and drinks.
Not only is there a restaurant but they also offer adorable cottages to stay in, and they have a spa and really charming gardens to walk around. When I dine in the restaurant I love sitting at the tables by the large picture window overlooking their gardens. They even have a little gift shop to explore. It’s a neat place. We’ve never stayed at their cottages but we should. There are just so many to pick from!
After our late breakfast we headed over to Becker Vineyards.
Becker is located just outside Fredericksburg in Stonewall, Texas. Another favorite of ours, they offer excellent wines and lavender products grown from the fields right there on the estate. You’ll find amazing soaps, oils, lotions, even some lavender syrup, and honey.
With so many excellent wines, you’ll definitely need to have a tasting. We really love the red wines here, we grab a glass and relax on the shaded patio overlooking the bright green grass and lavender fields. Brian choose the Cabernet Sauvignon and I selected the Prarie Rotie.
After that we went over to Wildseed Farms. This is a really a neat place. It has a nice sized nursery area to purchase plants, with a huge giftshop, a winery, and a snack area.
There are lots of garden paths and little trails where you can sit and admire the wild flowers. Plus lots of shaded seating areas that have live music on the weekends and surprise surprise there is a winery!
So we venture in to Wedding Oak Winery, it’s a new stop for us.
Wedding Oak Winery has their main location in downtown in San Saba, but I really like this cute location inside Wildseed Farms. Be sure to stop in for a tasting, try their wines and you can learn the story behind the winery’s name. We had a tasting and selected a delicious wine to enjoy on the shaded patio.
Before heading out I grabbed a peach ice cream cone. This is starting to become a tradition for me. I like my peach ice cream, I need it every time I visit. Somebody who shall remain nameless doesn’t like peaches and had to order vanilla. Hmm….
Circle E Candles made right here in Fredericksburg have always been some of my favorite candles to burn.
Birds of Paradise is their #1 scent but they have lots of incredible scents to choose from! Besides Birds of Paradise, Cream Brûlée, Bed of Roses, and Earl Gray Tea are some of my favorites.
For dinner we went with another trusty fave of ours August E’s. I love the open modern look inside with art from locals hanging on the walls. The food here is creative and excellent, you can get anything from steak to sushi. They also have a very impressive wine list and creative cocktails.
The next morning and sadly our last day we tried a new breakfast place. The Rathskeller is located in the basement of the old hospital on Main street.
I find underground restaurants so cool. This small cozy place had great breakfasts with many options to choose from.
After breakfast we did a little more last minute shopping on Main Street. Here you’ll find several blocks of shops, restaurants, and a few wine options.
Before heading out of town we had a quick stop at Vaudeville. This restaurant is also located in the basement of this vintage building right on Main Street.
They are open for breakfast and lunch, with limited dinner hours. Here you can find a wide variety of upscale meals, including wine, espresso, and my favorite thing in the world….MACARONS!
The green one is pistachio flavor, a flavor I always order and the other one was lavender honey. I love eating lavender or rose flavored food or drinks and I’m always on the look out for them. It tasted incredible!
We finished with a strong cup of espresso, which is really what I needed! All packed up, we were driving out of town when we saw a couple new small wineries. We can’t hurt their feelings so we had to stop.
This nook has several smaller wineries. The Vintage Cellar, Armadillo’s Leap Winery, Six Shooter and Fiesta Winery. Every time we drive by this area it seems another has popped up.
We loved the patio at Armadillo’s Leap Winery. It was quiet and peaceful. The thing about Fredericksburg is during weekdays it’s quiet, but that can also equal less lively. More events happen on the weekends for sure. On the weekends you’ll find more live music and food trucks. If you feed off energy like this maybe the weekend is a better choice, but with the weekend comes crowds and longer waits. Fredericksburg is always a great choice whether weekdays or weekends are your choice. You’ll have a great time no matter when you pick.
We also stopped at Magnolia Pearl on our way out of town. This beautiful store is like a work of art. Here you’ll find clothes and home items with a vintage vibe.
This 2 story store is definitely worth a stop. Even if you aren’t in the mood to shop you should stop by and just visually soak up the quirky beauty.
Well, that was the last of our trip. We had to say goodbye to Fredericksburg. We enjoyed our visit and it certainly won’t be the last!
I want to leave with you a few tips for visiting the wineries. There are so many good wineries and vineyards to stop at so you really need to pace yourself. A trick we have learned when visiting new places is to split a tasting. By doing this we each get a sip or 2 of each wine and we can quickly decide what we like. Other more familiar places where we know what wine we already like we just get 1 glass or buy bottles to drink later. If you can’t resist temptation and you think you’ll be drinking a lot I strongly suggest the 290 Wine Shuttle that stops every 15 minutes for pick ups on the weekends. You can find more information on their website.
Well, that’s it. I hope you decided to plan a trip to Fredericksburg, I know you will have lots of fun. I leave you with this photo I took last April of the Poppy flowers blooming in the fields at Wildseed Farms.
I did not realize the history in Fredericksburg. It looks like an amazing place to visit…………well done!